Celeriac - appreciate suggestions

I always use celeriac a bit like potato, and one of the best dishes I made:

But my usage of it remains quite limited. How about you, need suggestions to find more potential of this vegetables. Thanks all!

2 Likes

Potato & celeriac gratin is a firm favourite with us. As is a classic remoulade. You can also mash it with potato or on its own - works really well with roast chicken. We’ve also made soup. We steam a mix of grated root veg, along with thinly sliced leek - good, simple accompaniment to a richer meat dish.

1 Like

Similar to mashed potato, as a purée or mash (you can mix with potato as in the gratin to soften the flavor).

In matchsticks it’s nice as a crunchy slaw or salad, or part of one. Or shaved thin on a mandoline, then in a salad or marinated - I had it this way at a korean restaurant once. Complemented well by fennel, apples, citrus, etc.

Creamy soup - again a bit of potato or other puréeable vegetables can soften it.

Shredded for patties like latkes or rosti or hash browns.

Roasted - in cubes or fries - though this might be my least favorite, unless mixed with lots of other flavors.

Many american recipes refer to it as “celery root.”

1 Like

Good idea, but this has to wait the next time. I forgot mine in the fridge, so it started to get a bit soft. I like the idea of patties too.

Soup or purée for this time.

It’s lovely as both of those. As a purée it’s a nice change from mashed potato.

Love celeriac/celery root but I wish it were easier to peel. Any tips? Currently, I use brute force with a simple veggie peeler. Would a Y-shaped peeler work better in this instance (I keep forgetting to pick one of those up)?

I go in with a knife, I can’t imagine doing it with a peeler. On the root end there can be a lot of imbedded dirt, so while you can be careful, you do have to be prepared to loose some of the vegetable/root during the peeling process.

6 Likes

Much as my Y-shape is in almost daily use, a knife is the only practical way fo dealing with the thick, knobbly skin on celeriac.

3 Likes

+1 for a sharp knife, keep it firm on the cutting board and shave off outer layer as you turn it (after scrubbing it really well)

3 Likes

Even past its prime it would be tasty roasted a while with just some olive oil and seasonings
I’ve made celeriac soup but I don’t think I followed a proper recipe- i do recall i needed to add some potatoes to get a nice smooth texture.
Fennel celeriac soup is a popular combo, although would also need some potato to make smooth.

Or you could follow a recipe for your favorite chowder style soup/stew and swap in the celeriac for part of the potatoes

1 Like

One of the nicest restaurant preparations of celeriac I’ve had was at the now closed “In de Wulf” in Dranouter, Belgium.

They’d taken a whole celeriac, wrapped it first in hay and then given it a thick salt crust (as the Spanish often do with whole fish) and then cooked it on the BBQ for about 4 hours. They left it to cool and then thinly sliced it and served with soft goats curds. Just fab!

7 Likes

Very interesting indeed!

I guess the hay added the smokiness with the 4 hours of BBQ. Did they peel the celeriac before cooking?

I don’t think so.

One of the nice things about that restaurant was that the dishes were always served by the chef who had cooked them, so you were able to ask questions and my recollection is that I did ask that.

1 Like

I will have to try it one day when I find some hay. Thanks a lot.
These days smoky hay seems very hot on the restaurants’ menu.

May I ask why the restaurant In de Wulf is closed?

Basically, the chef, Kobe Desramaults, got bored. He explains here - https://munchies.vice.com/en_uk/article/pgvdk7/why-i-decided-to-close-my-michelin-starred-restaurant

He now has a new restaurant in Gent which, at €230 per person, I doubt that I’ll be visiting soon. https://www.chambreseparee.be/eng

1 Like

Strange, from what Desramaults was complaining, I was thinking that he would have opened a restaurant in a far away countryside. His vision of using local produces and doing own fermentation etc. But his new restaurant is in a concrete building in the middle of the city. He seems to be cooking and serving directly the clients.

Interesting chef anyway, for 230€, need to be a milestone celebration. Maybe what he was complaining was the lack of income with a lot of personnels in the old restaurant?! How much was he charging before, if you recalled?

First time we visited was in 2011, when the tasting menu was €120. I didnt note the cost with the 2013 visit.

1 Like
1 Like

I despise cooked celeriac, but add it to flavor chicken soup (then take the mushy bits out before serving).

A classic Waldorf, OTOH, is crisp, refreshing & delicious.

2 Likes